Friday Night Fish Fry at Black Bear Diner in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Friday Night Fish Fry at Black Bear Diner in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I thought Friday Night Fish Fry was just an Upper Midwest tradition, but on a recent visit to Black Bear Diner in Salinas (California) I saw Friday Night Fish Fry on the menu and immediately ordered it. 

The fish fry dinner at Black Bear Diner costs $23.59 as of today (8-1-2026) and comes with:

-two large deep-fried Pollock fillets

-French fries with their skins on 

-coleslaw with creamy apple cider and cream dressing (seasonal vegetable choices are offered. I chose coleslaw but the green beans sounded good too.)

-lemon halves 

-creamy tartar sauce 

-3 large hushpuppies (This is a southern addition to the fish fry, but I like them, so I am not complaining.) 

That dinner was just a crunchy, creamy, savory, and sour delight! 

If you like deep-fried white fish, the Friday Night Fish Fry at Black Bear Diner in Salinas, California is definitely for you. 

Note: For information on fish fries as part of local Wisconsin dining, check out my blog on a pre-COVID trip to Wisconsin:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2022/06/deforest-wisconsin-trip-by-ruth-paget.html?m=1

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette buying and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle games

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Country Outings at Toro County Park Outside Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Country Outings at Toro County Park Outside Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

It is easy to pass by Toro County Park heading in and out of Salinas, California on Highway 68, but this overlooked gem has a lot to offer visitors interested in country outing. 

To get to the park, you exit at the Portola Drive exit and turn under the Highway 68 bridge above into the Toro County Park parking lot. 

At the Buckeye Picnic area, there are tables with seating capacity from 50 to 500. This picnic area has horseshoe pits by it. (Amazon sells horseshoes and game instructions.)

Toro County Park also has volleyball courts (you have to bring your own net and balls) and baseball diamonds. 

There are several places on the edge of town (Salinas) where you can go for coffee to take on a stroll in the park that has a view on the hilly pastures of heaven that John Steinbeck wrote about in one of his short story collections. 

These coffee vendors include: 

-Jack’s (in the parking lot by Nob Hill)

-Peet’s Coffee (inside Nob Hill with an entrance on the parking lot) 

-Starbucks (located in the second shopping mall from the edge of town by Lucky)

If you would like picnic items such as sandwiches and potato salad, there is a delicatessen section at Nob Hill on Main Street (what Highway 68 becomes as you drive into town.) 

For a fun sit-down brunch for your country outing, you can dine at the Toro Place Café along Highway 68.  

The Toro Place Café is a locals favorite that fills up quickly. If you would like to eat there, it is best to arrive early. 

The Toro Place Café has some fame attached to it. It was filmed as part of the Ratched Netflix series. It looks like a whitewashed former 1930s gas station and café. Today it is good place for food and cool selfies. 

Have a fun day in country outside Salinas, California at Toro County Park! 

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Paris Bakery Appears to have closed both locations reposted by Ruth Paget

Paris Bakery in Monterey and Seaside, California appears to have closed both its locations after 40 years in busines according to the Facebook post below:.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1493378676169190&id=ksbw8

If you are thinking of making French baguettes, my daughter Florence Paget has a video of herself making French baguettes at home:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/02/making-traditional-french-baguette.html?m=1

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Pretzel Sandwiches from Costco Shout Out by Ruth

My family bought me Costco’s soft pretzel bread sandwiches to eat for the week, and the sandwiches are pretty good.

The soft pretzel bead sandwich’s come with a generous amount of white turkey meat, cheddar cheese, and lettuce.  The sandwiches come with a package of mustard-mayonnaise.  

There are six sandwiches in a package.  I ate two today and will have one for each day in the upcoming week.

The pretzel sandwich package costs $14.16 as of today (8-31-2026) or $2.36 per sandwich.  These sandwiches taste good and are a pretty good deal, too.  These sandwiches are great for picnics.

If you like turkey sandwiches, these pretzel sandwiches from Costco might be worth a try for nutrition and money savings.

Bon appetit!

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist 

-developer of 9 music theory games

Math People Stories from UChicago August 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

Math people stories follow about about UChicago’s 2026 Fields Medal Winner Yu Deng and Amina Rees who helped create funding for scientific research;

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/1a05331d7a450dfd

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-family genealogist

-developer of music theory games

Swiss - French Recipe Ideas for Personal Chefs by Ruth Paget

Swiss – French Recipe Ideas for Personal Chefs by Ruth Paget 

After visiting the Swiss – German towns of New Glarus and Monroe, Wisconsin during my 2026 summer vacation to the Dairyland State, I wanted to learn more about Swiss food and read The Classic Swiss Family Kitchen Cookbook: 150 Traditional Recipes from Switzerland’s Home Kitchens by Clayton Daniels (Available on Amazon Kindle). 

Daniels features recipes from the 4 official language areas of Switzerland. The official language follow on the list below: 

-German 

-French 

-Italian 

-Romansh 

Romansh is a Romance language from Switzerland’s largest canton (Swiss state) located in the country’s southeastern corn. This canton in named Graubünden. 

The recipes I singled out for discussion here are Swiss – French. I have made similar French recipes at home and/or eaten these dishes in restaurants. 

The following recipes give a flavor of Swiss – French food and are not too difficult to prepare: 

*Geneva Cardoon Soup 

Prickly leaved cardoons are prepared with shallots, potatoes, and cream in this rich starter soup. 

*Vaud Potato – Leek Soup 

This soup makes use of premium ingredients with the addition of cream for another rich starter soup recipe. 

*Vaud Harvest Loaf 

This bread is made with white and whole wheat flour and the addition of chopped walnuts. 

*Wild Mushroom Fondue 

Adding sliced and sautéed wild mushrooms to melted cheese in fondue is a very sophisticated French touch to this delectable meal. 

*Valais Raclette 

This recipe features melted raclette cheese that is spread on boiled potatoes. Sour cornichon pickles are the typical accompaniments to this dish. 

I have seen raclette served in Parisian restaurants where a raclette cheese half was suspended above a flame that made the melted cheese drip onto trays that were delivered to diners to go with their potatoes. (Table top raclette trays and raclette suspenders are sold on Amazon.) 

People who would like to visit Dairyland Switzerland, learn about their ancestors’ cooking, or add to their personal chef portfolio might enjoy the Classic Swiss Family Kitchen Cookbook by Clayton Daniels. 

Bon appétit! 

Note:  The following blog recounts a trip to Basel, Switzerland that my husband Laurent too when we lived in Germany;

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2015/08/basel-switzerland-lunch-spot-above-rhine.html?m=1

Note: The following blog describes our trip to Lake Constance whose shores touch Germany, Switzerland, and Austria:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2013/04/konstanz-germany-alpine-lake-resort-town.html?m=1

Note: The following blog describes a Swiss meal I ate with my daughter Florence Paget at Lugano, a Swiss restaurant in Carmel, California;

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2018/02/sampling-swiss-cuisine-with-juilliard.html?m=1

Note: A suggestion for an easy Family Fondue Night follows:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/01/family-fondue-night-for-sustainable.html?m=1

Note: New Glarus, Wisconsin visit blog:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/08/grilled-swiss-apple-cheese-pesto.html?m=1

Note: Monroe, Wisconsin blog post:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/08/swiss-cheese-swiss-art-values-and-kino.html?m=1

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Gsmes

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Sausage and Lentils by Nigella Lawson video reposted by Ruth Paget

This is an easy recipe by Nigella Lawson that uses primo ingredients.  In California, find some Aidells  sausage you like and use it in this recipe.

This recipe with Italian sausages and lentils looks so good:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsfI6sQmfI&ra=m

Happy cooking!

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games